t’s a live show! Our featured idealist is Laura Belin, the curator of the Bleeding Heartland blog that covers Iowa politics. Laura and I talk about legislation introduced at the behest of Gov. Reynolds which seeks to require transgender people who’ve transitioned genders to list both an M and F on their driver’s license. Ugh. I also talk about a recent feel-good story by writer James Finn about a lesbian wedding venue in Kansas. Finally, I announce the formation of Carver County Pride—the first LGBTQ+ organization in Carver County MN!

The post Ellie 2.0 Radio – February 3, 2024 first appeared on AM 950.

Our featured idealist of the week is Jeanne Manford, who in 1971 wrote a letter to the NY Post telling the world the she loved her gay son who had been the victim of a homophobic attack. As a result of the positive outpouring to that letter, Jeanne would go on to found PFLAG—Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays—one of the largest LGBTQ+ support organizations in the country. The Big Interview is with Kelly Jenson who writes a weekly blog, Literary Activism, which documents efforts to push back against book bans in countless libraries in America. In the C-Block I talk about speaking to LGBTQ+ students and also about a March 14 Gray Area Thinking© public event in Chaska—please come!

The post Ellie 2.0 Radio – January 27, 2024 first appeared on AM 950.

This week’s featured idealist is Zyahna Byrant who, as a 15-year-old, launched a petition to remove Robert E. Lee’s statute in Charlottesville VA in 2017. That led to a city commission recommending the statute’s removal, which in turn led to the “Unite the Right” rally with the Tiki Torch white supremacists marching through the city. Ultimately, Zyahna’s petition resulted in Lee’s statute being removed and melted down! The Big Interview is with Pastor Dean Seal of Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska MN—he’s retiring, and this incredible idealist reflected on his accomplishments. In my C-Block I talk about the newest round of anti-transgender bills in Ohio and West Virginia that are now targeting all trans humans, not just trans kids and youth. Ugh. Double ugh!

The post Ellie 2.0 Radio – January 13, 2024 first appeared on AM 950.

We start off “Tumultuous ‘24” with our featured idealist, Medgar Evers, an idealist who worked to desegregate Mississippi in the 1950s and early ‘60s until he was assassinated in July 1963. His murderer wouldn’t be brought to justice until 1996. The Big Interview is with Heather Tran of A Better Society, a small Chanhassen MN nonprofit that acts as an incubator and navigator for other small nonprofits. In the C-Block, I talk about working on my second book (!!) and about this show moving to the 4:00 p.m. CST time slot as part of a block of LGBTQ+ focused shows/podcasts. Happy 2024!

The post Ellie 2.0 Radio – January 6, 2024 first appeared on AM 950.

It’s the last “fresh” show of 2023 and our featured idealist is Stephen Ritz, a South Bronx educator who created the “Green Bronx Machine” centered around exciting students about growing plants. His idea has taken off and earned him and his school national accolades—along the way, it raised student attendance and grades. The Big Interview is with Nancy X. Valentine, who uses her skills as an artist specializing in Asian calligraphy and images to break racial and “othering” barriers in greater MN. In my C-Block, I share about an extraordinary story a friend told me of how my book, Getting to Ellen, changed the minds of intolerant parents to a transgender child—they decided to love and support their kid. Now that’s what I call “rippling”!

The post Ellie 2.0 Radio – December 23, 2023 first appeared on AM 950.

This week’s featured idealist is Rashida Tlaib, who represents Michigan’s 12th District in the House. She’s been a fierce protector of Palestinian rights, for which she was censured last month. (For the record, I believe that Israel has the right to exist, and I don’t put up with antisemitism.) The Big Interview is with Mikki Morrissette, the publisher of Minnesota Women’s Press, who talks about how the magazine is trying to give voice to women in Greater MN. In my C-Block, I’m back to talking about how DEI is being attacked—this time with Wisconsin Republicans holding the University of WI education system over its DEI practices. The R’s forced University Regents to gut their DEI programs in return for approving a system-wide pay raise and $347 million for a new engineering building in Madison. Look for more of this hostage taking to occur across the country in ’24!

The post Ellie 2.0 Radio – December 16, 2023 first appeared on AM 950.

Our featured idealist is none other than the immortal John Lennon, who was shot and killed 43 years ago yesterday. His song, Imagine, is the idealist’s anthem! In my C-Block, I interview Hal Sansoney, the producer, director and performer for Trans Voice Cabaret, that’s opening at the Mixed Blood Theater. In my C-Block, I talk about conducting my last Gray Area Thinking© of the year and how demand for this wonderful workshop has dramatically slowed due to anti-wokeism.

The post Ellie 2.0 Radio – December 9, 2023 first appeared on AM 950.

It’s another Ellie’s Talking Head show! Our featured idealist is Majorie Kelly, who has written and spoken extensively on changing America’s capitalist system to end “financial extraction” where only the rich get richer. Instead, she favors community-based ownership where everyone is lifted up. I also highlight Frank Bruni, a NYT columnist and author who recently wrote about how the 2024 election isn’t at all about the cost of living, but rather the price we’d pay for a loss of democracy. I then pivot to reflecting about serving on my local school board one year in. I think it’s an informative episode—if only I didn’t stumble over words in the show notes!

The post Ellie 2.0 Radio – December 2, 2023 first appeared on AM 950.

Ellie Krug, host of Ellie 2.0 Radio every Saturday at 10 AM on AM950 joins Matt to mark today’s Transgender Day of Remembrance.

The post Ellie Krug with Matt – November 20, 2023 first appeared on AM 950.

It’s a live Ellie’s Talking Head show! I begin by highlighting the sad state of legalized discrimination against transgender people in America today. From there, I pivot to talk about a November 16 piece by Tom Nichols in The Atlantic titled, “Trump Crosses a Crucial Line,” re: Trump’s use of the word, “vermin,” in his recent Veterans Day speech, to describe anyone who disagrees with him. We also have a treat when a past guest, Nick Alm, calls in to talk about how anti-wokeism is pushing down diversity, equity and inclusion work.

The post Ellie 2.0 Radio – November 18, 2023 first appeared on AM 950.